UK TV Nostalgia – A Look At Some TV Classics

This page is dedicated to TV shows from the past, with a selection of links to pages looking back at classic TV shows.

There are so many excellent nostalgia sites around on the Internet, that there’s no need to create another with Radio and Telly. This site will, however, list a few of the shows that stick in the webmaster’s memory as being classic shows, where there’s little content to be found elsewhere on the ‘net.

UK TV classics:

The Adventure Game

The Adventure Game – Classic BBC2 game show that almost no-one remembers. Does the planet Arg, the Vortex, crystals, Drogna, Dogran, Angord, Gandor and Rangdo the Aspidistra ring any bells?
For more, see the entry in the Wikipedia, or the BBC Cult TV site, which contains some video clips. The series has recently been re-run on Challenge TV… When is “The Adventure Game” next on?

ITV sitcom from the mid-eighties about an over-the-top commercial radio DJ, Kit Curran.
The first series was mostly set in the studios of Radio New Town, and centred around various battles with Roland Simpson, the station manager.The second series wasn’t a patch on Series 1… sacked from Radio New Town, Kit’s turned into a radio pirate broadcasting from an industrial park.More information on our on the Kit Curran Radio Show page.

Star Fleet

Star Fleet, is a cult classic 1980’s space puppet show that almost no-one remembers.An ahead-of-its-time show, the series starts with Earth coming under attack, and relying on a new space craft, the X Bomber, to save humanity. Shown on Saturday morning ITV kids TV, this is a true cult classic. Update – now on DVD!

For full details, images, video and audio clips, go to the best Star Fleet site on the net, Star Fleet X Bomber.

Those trying to track this series down on video or DVD have struggled – there are a selection of video tapes of Star Fleet available via the Ebay memorabilia auction site, but be warned that many videotapes of Start Fleet are in NTSC format (used in the US), and not PAL (the UK system), so may not play.

‘Radio’ – A drama produced by former TV company Television South (TVS) back in 1982, this series was essentially a soap opera following the staff of fictitious Brighton-based commercial radio station, Radio Phoenix.Very few people remember the series, but those in the radio industry, myself included, loved the show.

We’ve added a few bits of information, screenshots and audio snippets, to our dedicated Radio Phoenix page

WKRP in Cincinnati

US comedy charting the lives of the staff behind AM rock station WKRP.The series appeared in September 1978, with 90 episodes. The team consisted of morning man Doctor Johnny Fever, Programme controller Andy Travis, station owner Arthur Carlson, receptionist Jennifer Marlowe, journalist Les Nessman (always pictured with a plaster!), ‘Venus Flytrap’, Herb Tarlek, and the sexy backroom babe, Bailey Quarters.

Classic BBC sci-fi series that ran from 1978 to 1981. Blake, Avon, Gan, Vila, Jenna, Cally, Soolin, Dayna, Zen and the chatty perspex Orac fighting against Supreme Commander Servalan of the Federation. Cheap props, dodgy effects and even wobblier plotlines just added to the appeal of this low-budget spectacular. Memories: The Liberator, teleport bracelets, and the fact that every planet looked like a Welsh quarry-pit.
Order Blake’s 7 Series 1 on DVD , Blake’s 7 Series 2 on DVD and Blake’s 7 Series 3 on DVD .Blake’s 7 update: In April 2008, Sky One announced that they were starting up activities to produce a new series – more hereFor more liberating Blake’s 7 chat and news, try Blake’s 7 Guide and Hermit’s B7 site

Anyone remember this one? This was tucked away on the ITV Sunday night slot, and featured Geoffrey Palmer as Editor of the Daily Crucible. The stuffy paper gets acquired by megalomaniac Twiggy Rathbone, who puts his own man, Russell Spam (both played by Robert Hardy), in as Editor. Palmer’s character, Harry Stringer, gets relegated to an office in the list and fights against the Crucible’s downhill spiral into tabloid hell (Royal scandal, local vicar is a werewolf, etc…). One of the paper’s reporters, played by John Gordon Sinclair, uncovers a political conspiracy, whilst sleazy journo Greg Kettle, uncovers Nikita Khrushchev in hiding.A couple of years later, a second series appeared – Geoffrey Palmer’s character had left, and Dicky Lipton (played by Richard “Meldrew” Wilson).The series was written by Andrew Marshall & David Renwick (Also writers for Not the Nine O’Clock News and Whoops Apocalypse). Hot Metal was a well written little series, that’s sadly not been repeated or made it to DVD… yet.

Terrahawks

“Terrahawks… stay on this channel… this is an emergency!” – The introduction to the early 80’s sci-fi series from puppetmaster Gerry Anderson (Thunderbirds, Stingray et al). Very much in the Thunderbirds style, a team of specialists protect the earth from the invading forces of the evil Zelda and her dribbling son. A variety of vehicles are used by the team (including a chameleon Rolls Royce called Hudson).Pictured here is Sergeant Major Zero, in command of a 100 strong squad of ‘zeroids’, that can be deployed to defend earth. Each zeroid has its own personality, such as the unlucky 13, and space sergeant 101. Here are some useful links:

Terrahawks.org – Great resource, with stacks of information and some video and audio clips

Terrahawks Cyber Pages – including an animation of the end credits noughts-and-crosses

DVDs are now becoming available, starting with volume 1 in 2002. Take a look at the range at Amazon.

Max
Headroom

Set 20 minutes into the future, Network 23’s reporter Edison Carter is almost killed by his own TV network, and has his mind dumped down to a computer – the bits and bytes form “Max Headroom”, a sentient computer program based on Edison.
Max, Edison, and his sexy office-based controller seek out to expose Network 23’s dirty secret – that their new commercials, ‘blipverts’, have a devastating effect on the minds of some of their viewers. So goes the plot of the 1984 pilot produced by Channel 4. Slightly sanitised and Americanised in 1987, this ran as a series for two seasons, before Max became a video jockey on a TV music station. Excellent
series with some ahead-of-its-time ideas, and a worryingly realistic estimate of where TV and society are heading. Some links:

As far as we can tell, there are no videos or DVDs currently available of the Max Headroom series, or the original pilot, although occasionally, some items appear on Ebay.
If you know of a source for DVDs, let us know.

One comment

I help coordinate an over-40s social club in Exeter, and am wondering if anyone local to Exeter would be available to do a talk relating to the 1960s. I have pasted a general poster to give you an idea of how this club runs, with contact details. I would be very grateful for your cooperation in this matter.

A club for all people who are over 40. Come along if you like music, games and quizzes, fascinating talks, bingo, or just meeting people and making new friend. The club gives people the opportunity to have fun in a relaxed environment.

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